Published on: Thursday, 13 March 2014
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Abellio Greater Anglia is to be the Principal Travel Partner for the 2014 Norfolk & Norwich Festival. The company is continuing its proactive partnership with the major regional arts event - which launched its full programme for 2014 last week. The partnership will see the train operator promote the Festival and the good value fares available to encourage people to travel to Festival events by train. It will also provide rail tickets for some of the artists travelling to and from the Festival and sponsor two events including a concert of music by the Philharmonia Orchestra (also supported by the Eastern Daily Press) at St Andrew's Hall on the opening night of the Festival, and the performance by Madeleine Peyroux at Norwich Theatre Royal (also supported by NW Brown Group).
The partnership between the region's railways and the Festival now stretches back 24 years to 1990. With no disruptive engineering work taking place on Norfolk's rail routes or the main line to London during the Festival period from 9 to 25 May, rail travellers arriving from local stations, regional centres such as Ipswich and Cambridge and also from London, can plan journeys to and from the Festival with the confidence of a smooth, direct train journey.
The scheduled late night trains on Mondays to Saturdays depart Norwich to Cambridge at (22.40), Lowestoft (22.40), Sheringham (22.45), Great Yarmouth (23.00) and Ipswich (23.05), encouraging even more people to use the train to travel into Norwich and enjoy this year’s programme of music, song, dance and performance.
Banners and brochures promoting the Festival will be in place at Norwich station and one of the train operators Class 90 locomotives used on the Norwich to London route continues to carry the Norfolk and Norwich Festival name.
Commenting on this year's partnership between the Festival and Abellio Greater Anglia, Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs for Abellio Greater Anglia said: "Abellio Greater Anglia is again delighted to be the Travel Partner for the 2014 Norfolk & Norwich Festival. We will be helping to promote the Festival, extending and expanding our partnership from our first links as Abellio Greater Anglia when our franchise began in 2012. Our partnership is helping the Festival to go from strength to strength, supporting the local economy and building Norfolk and Norwich’s reputation. We hope that this year's Festival is a great success and that many people will travel to the events by train."
William Galinsky, Artistic Director of Norfolk & Norwich Festival said: "The relationship between Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Abellio Greater Anglia continues to grow year-on-year and enables us to bring artists and audiences into the county, supporting our aim to become a destination festival and create a positive impact on visitor numbers to the region. Furthermore the Norfolk & Norwich Festival is proud to work with Abellio Greater Anglia to enhance the economic and cultural value of the county for those living and working in its communities.”